
April 11-12, 2024 Tiffany Center, Portland, OR…and virtually everywhere April 3-12!
SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS TO PRESENT AT SCIENCE TALK ’24!
DEADLINE EXTENDED: Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 PM Pacific Time, October 8, 2023
DIRECTIONS & LINKS BELOW
We are now accepting submissions for speaking opportunities at the SCIENCE TALK ’24 annual conference. In 2024 we will be celebrating our continued growth as the newly named Association of Science Communicators, and honoring our open letter which calls the SciComm community to open more doors to science communication and communicators.
SCIENCE TALK ’24 is being planned as a hybrid conference to take place both in-person in Portland, Oregon, and with real-time, online participation for speakers and attendees also available.
- Virtual (live-streamed) presentations will take place between April 3 and April 9. Precise dates and times will be based on presenter availability. All attendees will have access to virtual presentations.
- In-person presentations will take place in Portland, OR on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12 at the Tiffany Center. In-person keynotes, panels, and short talk sessions will also be live-streamed out so virtual attendees can still participate.
At this time we encourage the full interaction allowed by face-to-face attendance. We strongly encourage up-to-date COVID vaccination and masks for all in-person attendees and will follow all applicable health regulations. We recognize that the public health situation is fluid and will make additional decisions about in-person events based on the best scientific information as the event approaches.
SUBMISSIONS OPEN: September 5, 2023
SUBMISSION DEADLINE – EXTENDED: October 8, 2023 at 11:59 PM Pacific**
More detailed timeline and submission info below.
**Submissions for posters & art will be open until March 15, 2024. Details below.

SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES
There are four types of speaking opportunities at SCIENCE TALK ’24: Short talk presentation, Workshop, Panel, and Poster or Art.
***Please read through ALL the information below to prepare for submitting your session idea before accessing the submission forms.***
Short Talk submissions: https://forms.gle/rLPwRc3UufsCLHoDA
Workshop submissions: https://forms.gle/k5tvMN1hmeaneBdo7
Panel submissions: https://forms.gle/1fSGsyXPkAKmLPz77
Poster & Art submissions**: https://forms.gle/uc5Qi7pLnB3S84gh6
**Scroll to the bottom of this page for more information about posters & art.
Short Talk Format & Guidelines:
- Session length: 20 minutes total, including Q&A
- Maximum of 2 presenters
- Presenters will receive 1 full-price registration that can be split with a second presenter, if applicable. Travel is not included.
- If there are 2 presenters, they should plan to present either as both in-person, or both virtual
Workshop Format & Guidelines:
- Session length: 60 or 90 minutes total. Please indicate preferred length on the submission form.
- Maximum of 4 speakers
- Workshop speakers will receive 2 full-price registrations that can be split between speakers as applicable. Travel is not included.
- If there is more than 1 speaker, they should plan to offer their workshop either as all in-person, or all virtual
- Workshop should be interactive, with some formal presentation.
- Audience size: Minimum 20, Maximum 100. Please indicate preferred audience size on form.
Panel Format & Guidelines:
- Session length: 40-45 minutes speaking, 10-15 minutes moderated Q&A
- Minimum 3 to Maximum 4 panelists, PLUS an additional moderator if desired
- Panelists will each receive 1 full-price conference registration per person. Travel is not included.
- Your submission must include at least two prospective panelists (yourself plus one other, or two others if you plan to moderate). We will work with you to identify and recruit other panelists and/or moderators if needed.
- Panelists should plan to present as either all in-person or all virtual
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SESSION SELECTION PROCESS AND TIMELINE
All submissions will be reviewed by the ASC conference committee and a curated list of potential workshop and short talk sessions will be made available to the Association of Science Communicators and wider SciComm community on October 23 – November 5 for voting.
Everyone in the ASC community will have an opportunity to vote for the speakers and sessions that they think should appear at the conference.
Submission Deadline – EXTENDED: October 8, 2023 at 11:59 PM Pacific
Community Voting Begins: October 23, 2023
Community Voting Ends: November 5, 2023 at 11:59 PM Pacific
Notification of Acceptance: Accepted sessions will receive notice no later than November 27, 2023
Early Bird Conference Registration Opens: December 4, 2023
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SPEAKER GUIDELINES
As the newly named Association of Science Communicators, we would love to see submissions for sessions targeted toward professional or veteran science communicators. However, we still encourage proposals for sessions aimed at all audiences and levels of science communication. In an effort to ensure that our audience is getting the information that is most appropriate for them, all speakers will be asked to identify a target audience for their presentation:
- Professional/Veteran science communicators
- Trainee science communicators
- All conference attendees
Please use this opportunity to teach the audience a new science communication skill or concept, or share lessons learned about a project or collaboration. We encourage discussions of science communication theory, evaluation of science communication activities, science communication research, or putting research into practice. We ask that you refrain from pitching your services, products, or business.
In-Person Speakers:
- We strongly encourage full completion of up-to-date COVID vaccination for both speakers and attendees at least 2 weeks before the conference.
- While we hope for a robust and safe in-person conference, we know that travel plans may change based on COVID developments in the weeks prior to the conference and we are planning to switch in-person speakers to online if needed. We strongly encourage in-person participation and believe we can hold a safe, fun, and meaningful event.
Virtual Speakers:
- All virtual panel and workshop speakers must participate LIVE and in REAL-TIME. Virtual short talks will be pre-recorded (subject to change).
- We require all virtual speakers to attend a “tech check” meeting sometime in the 2 weeks prior to the conference to confirm lighting, sound, and conference schedule. We will work with you to find a tech check meeting time that works with your schedule.
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HOW TO PLAN FOR YOUR SUBMISSION
Each submission will require a name, contact information, and basic information about the qualifications for the person submitting the session idea and any co-presenters (if applicable), and must indicate whether you plan to participate in-person or online.
You will also need to include the following in your proposal:
- A short biography of each presenter, as applicable
- (Limit 350 characters per presenter, including spaces)
- A link to the biography page, website, or public-facing social media for each presenter
- A video or audio link that gives an example of each presenter’s speaking style
- Examples: recordings of public lectures, podcasts, social media, etc.
- How does the presenter(s) bring a unique or diverse perspective to SCIENCE TALK?
- (Limit 500 characters, including spaces)
- Title of Session
- Short summary of your session
- (Limit 500 characters, including spaces)
- Who is the intended audience for your session?
- All conference attendees
- Professional/Veteran science communicators
- Trainee science communicators
- What are three key take-away ideas that your audience can expect?
- (Limit 500 characters, including spaces)
- How does your session contribute to a unique or diverse perspective in science communication?
- (Limit 500 characters, including spaces)
- Workshop specific: Please tell us how you plan to make the workshop interactive in a virtual environment, if applicable.
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POSTER & ART SUBMISSIONS
Do you have engaging science communication projects, research, best-practices or science art you’d like to share? Join us and present at a dynamic, hybrid science communication conference. You can participate from anywhere in the world. Here’s your chance to share your work with other science communication practitioners, facilitators, and professionals.
Please use this opportunity to teach the audience a new science communication skill, concept, or research, share lessons learned about a project or collaboration, or share a science communication art piece, project, or collaboration. We ask that you refrain from pitching your services or business.
At SCIENCE TALK ’24 our theme is Opening Doors. In your poster or art submissions, consider how your project, art, poster etc. embodies or demonstrates opening more doors to science communication and communicators. (Other submissions accepted too, of course!)
Poster & Art submissions: https://forms.gle/uc5Qi7pLnB3S84gh6
Poster & Art Format & Guidelines
In-person poster & art presentations will take place during a dedicated session at the Tiffany Center in Portland, OR, on Thursday, April 11, 2024 starting at 5:30pm Pacific Time. You will be provided with a poster bulletin board or a 6-ft table, depending on your need.
Virtual posters & art can be presented online by uploading materials to our virtual conference platform, Whova. Presenters can upload up to (1) image, (2) PDFs, and/or a link to (1) 5-min video (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) to personalize their “gallery” space. Virtual materials will stay available for viewing throughout the virtual and in-person portions of the conference. Presenters must upload their presentation materials to Whova by March 29, 2024.
Poster & Art Submission Timeline
Submissions Open: OPEN NOW
Submissions Close: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 11:59pm Pacific Time
Notification of Acceptance: Accepted presenters will be notified on a rolling basis and no later than Friday, March 15, 2024
Presenter Guidelines
In-Person Presenters:
- Please read the ethics policy and other speaker guidelines posted above.
- All poster and art presenters MUST REGISTER for the conference. Unfortunately we are unable to provide registration or travel compensation.
- In-person presenters are encouraged to also submit their presentation materials to the virtual conference platform “gallery” so that virtual-only attendees may still engage with the content.
Virtual Presenters:
- Please read the ethics policy and other speaker guidelines posted above.
- All poster and art presenters MUST REGISTER for the conference. Unfortunately we are unable to provide registration compensation.
- We are aiming to provide a time where presenters can be available LIVE and in REAL-TIME for Q&A + discussion on the conference platform for at least 1 hour during the virtual conference program April 3 – 9. Details TBD – thanks for your patience!
- Virtual presenters must have access to a computer with a camera, microphone, and internet access to engage with conference attendees.
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QUESTIONS?
Contact info@sciencecomm.org